The present invention relates to a digital broadcast receiving apparatus, and a method for receiving digital broadcasts. Specifically, the present invention relates to a digital broadcast receiving apparatus and the like structured in such a manner that it identifies to what limited receiving mode an integrated circuit (IC) card, mounted to an integrated circuit (IC) card interface section thereof, for controlling contract information and scramble key information necessary for limited receiving processing corresponds. When the IC card corresponds to the limited receiving mode of the digital data output from a receiver, the apparatus performs limited receiving processing for the above-described digital data using the contract information and the scramble key information controlled by this IC card. This structure makes it possible to provide a receiving apparatus for receiving digital broadcast signals from a plurality of broadcasting companies in different limited receiving modes from each other at low cost.
In many cases, limited receiving systems used in digital broadcasting are in different limited receiving modes if broadcasting companies which use the systems differ from each other. Conventionally, each digital broadcast receiving apparatus corresponds to only a specific kind of limited receiving mode.
In the case of using conventional digital broadcast receiving apparatuses such as described above, it is impossible to utilize a service in a limited receiving mode which does not correspond to each of the apparatuses, even though they are in common signal processing modes for processing images, sounds, or data which constitute the service.